Her gaze drifted unconsciously toward the one-way glass window.

 

A few moments later, the car window rolled down, revealing a handsome face as refined as carved jade.

 

The man sat upright in the driver’s seat, tall and elegant, bathed in a soft golden glow from the winter sun. His bearing was graceful and noble, every movement exuding quiet affluence.

 

He looked at the girl like a husband waiting for his mischievous wife to come back, smiling faintly as he said,

 

“Get in the car. It’s cold outside.”

 

At once, Yao Jiayin trotted over happily.

 

She opened the door on the other side. Before she had even fully sat down, her sweet voice had already filled the space.

 

“Good morning, Mr. Zhong. I brought you hot milk.”

 

The girl fluttered toward him like a lively, light butterfly,

 

then gently and obediently settled into the palm of his hand.

 

Zhong Xianzhi accepted the warm bottle of milk with one hand, while the other reached out to brush aside the loose strands of hair blocking her eyes.

 

Then he rubbed her head lightly. “Milk again. I’m twenty-eight, not eighteen.”

 

Yao Jiayin’s ears flushed red at his natural intimacy.

 

Yet she didn’t dodge away—instead, she rubbed her cheek against his hand.

 

Her dependence and affection were openly written in her eyes.

 

In a sweet, coaxing tone, she said, “Even if you were thirty-eight or forty-eight, you’d still have to drink it. Besides, you’re only in your twenties.”

 

She naturally took the bottle from his hand, twisted the cap open, and held it to his lips.

 

“If you changed clothes and walked around our campus, everyone would think you’re a senior from some department~”

 

Zhong Xianzhi looked at the girl before him, his fingers twitching slightly.

 

The instant he met those bright, enthusiastic eyes, an impulse surged through him—to pull her onto his lap and speak to her there.

 

Thankfully, he didn’t lose his head.

 

He simply followed her motion, took the bottle, and drank a few mouthfuls, casually teasing her,

 

“Our Jiayin really knows how to flatter people. No wonder you outperformed veteran employees even as a winter break temp.”

 

He had meant it as praise for her emotional intelligence, but unexpectedly, the girl’s expression dimmed.

 

Her smile turned faintly bitter. She pursed her lips and looked at him pitifully.

 

“Mr. Zhong… is that bad? I’m always so cautious, always worrying about what I didn’t do well, always wanting everyone to like me. I—”

 

The eighteen-year-old girl laid bare her vulnerability without any guard.

 

She was seeking advice—about a trivial confusion—from an experienced, successful businessman.

 

No. More accurately, she was longing for reassurance from a gentle, steady man.

 

Zhong Xianzhi gave a helpless, faintly indulgent smile. After hesitating for a moment—

 

he slowly extended his hand toward her, under her embarrassed, shy gaze.

 

“You’re very good. And very likable.”

 

Yao Jiayin stared at the broad, warm palm before her, stunned.

 

What did that mean?

 

He…

 

The car moved forward smoothly. Zhang Jianjun, seated in front, kept his eyes straight ahead, never once glancing at the rearview mirror.

 

—

 

Zhong Xianzhi kept his hand extended, patiently waiting for her decision.

 

It wasn’t that he hadn’t met intelligent, lively women.

 

Or clever and cute ones.

 

Or young, beautiful, highly educated ones.

 

At his level, women of all kinds were plentiful—whether deliberately approaching him or introduced through others.

 

A few years ago, he had even considered forming a small family.

 

Completing that vague, inherited duty of carrying on the family line.

 

So he had reluctantly agreed to meet several refined socialites arranged by his parents.

 

A dinner. A movie. An opera.

 

Or he would attend their solo recitals, bringing flowers.

 

Occasionally inviting them as temporary companions to formal events.

 

But every time, after one or two meetings, things fizzled out.

 

Some felt he was too cold.

 

Others thought he was merely going through the motions to appease elders, not genuinely interested in them.

 

Zhong Xianzhi felt they were all right.

 

He truly had no strong preferences for a wife—shared interests and mutual respect would be enough.

 

He had always treated women generously: paying the bill, giving gifts without hesitation.

 

He considered himself gentlemanly in speech and conduct.

 

Unless the woman showed clear interest in approaching or understanding him,

 

he wouldn’t even take her hand—always giving her full freedom of choice.

 

His libido was generally low. Once or twice a week, when restlessness overflowed, he handled it himself.

 

Since taking over Zhong Corporation five years ago, he had been far too busy.

 

He had neither the mood nor the energy for romance, nor the patience to coax women.

 

Until—

 

two months ago, on a cold winter night, that pure and captivating girl looked up at him beneath the lantern light…

 

After that, she leapt into his heart again and again like an uncontrollable flame.

 

A long-lost youthful impulse surged through him, especially over the past two days.

 

Because today was his first official date with her, he had felt a warmth in his chest since the day before.

 

This was the first time he had formally asked a girl out.

 

Zhong Xianzhi tried doing things that would make someone her age happy—shopping with her, learning her preferences.

 

“M-Mr. Zhong…”

 

Yao Jiayin’s voice trembled slightly.

 

The man’s hand was beautiful—fair and slender, with distinct knuckles.

 

Veins lay faintly beneath the skin; the cool white joints tinged with pale pink.

 

The sight made her think, out of place, of another man—

 

Qi He.

 

His hands looked somewhat similar to Mr. Zhong’s.

 

Both long, strong, pale with a hint of pink—hands that spoke of a privileged upbringing.

 

Slowly, Yao Jiayin placed her hand in his.

 

Her heartbeat quickened.

 

Almost the instant her hand landed, the man’s warm palm closed around it.

 

Zhong Xianzhi wrapped her small hand fully in his, the gesture gentle yet possessive.

 

Yao Jiayin lowered her head, her entire face burning red. She no longer had the courage to look up.

 

Naturally, she didn’t see that the ever-composed Mr. Zhong’s ears were red as well.

 

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he lightly squeezed her hand, breaking the intimate silence.

 

“You always call me Mr. Zhong. Have you ever thought about changing how you address me?”

 

Yao Jiayin: “…”

 

That question sounded familiar.

 

“You’re a bit older than me… can I call you gege?”

 

Zhong Xianzhi rolled the word over in his mind, tasting the intimacy and dependence within it.

 

Gege.

 

“Alright. You can also call me by my name. I’m not your elder.”

 

Yao Jiayin opened her mouth but couldn’t bring herself to say “Zhong Xianzhi.”

 

It felt strange.

 

In the end, she flushed and buried her face straight into his chest.

 

Their hands never parted.

 

It was Zhong Xianzhi’s first time being embraced by an eighteen-year-old girl.

 

Her hug was light and soft.

 

When her warm body leaned into him, even the dust motes floating in the air seemed to freeze.

 

Her breath brushed against his neck, sending a shiver through half his body.

 

His heart skipped a beat, then began to race wildly, heat flooding his limbs.

 

Zhong Xianzhi froze, then let out a quiet, helpless laugh at his body’s overly honest reaction.

 

He lifted his other arm, wrapped it around her, and gently stroked her lowered head.

 

“Good girl.”

 

Yao Jiayin immediately felt dizzy, her breathing uneven.

 

Was it really this easy?

 

—

 

Two hours later

 

Yao Jiayin stood beside the driver, Zhang Jianjun, who was already holding over a dozen shopping bags.

 

Zhong Xianzhi was some distance away in a lounge area, on a conference call. She glanced at him but didn’t go over.

 

She couldn’t shop anymore.

 

Her gaze swept over the five outfits, two pairs of pants, two pairs of shoes, a necklace he’d chosen for her…

 

She calculated silently:

 

Five thousand. Eight thousand. Twelve hundred. The necklace—thirty thousand.

 

And this wasn’t even everything. Mr. Zhong said he still wanted to buy her a backpack and a casual bag.

 

In just two hours, her understanding of money had been completely overturned.

 

When Mr. Zhong paid, it was as casually as buying a thirty-cent popsicle back in her hometown.

 

She rested for a while. When she saw Zhong Xianzhi finish his call, she put on her obedient smile and trotted over.

 

But just as she took his hand, a man with a visible LV belt—clearly a businessman—exclaimed and walked over.

 

He greeted Zhong Xianzhi first, then naturally let his gaze fall on the girl beside him.

 

Chairman Zhong finally woke up?

 

Tsk. So young. So pure.

 

High school or college? Probably an adult. Never heard of Zhong Xianzhi liking kids.

 

“Chairman Zhong, this is—?”

 

Zhong Xianzhi released Yao Jiayin’s hand, shook the man’s, and smiled lightly.

 

“Just accompanying a kid for some shopping.”

 

No formal introduction.

 

Neither a family member nor a girlfriend.

 

Between men, this kind of phrasing meant only one thing: a kept student.

 

The man immediately understood. He didn’t spare Yao Jiayin another glance.

 

He chatted animatedly about other matters and warmly invited Zhong Xianzhi for a drink.

 

Yao Jiayin stood to the side, hands lowered, eyes fixed on her toes.

 

The heating was strong, yet her fingertips slowly grew cold.

 

Her heart felt sour. Her pulse sank from joyful excitement into dull heaviness.

 

After the man tactfully left, Zhong Xianzhi naturally took her hand again.

 

Still wearing that gentle, refined smile.

 

“Shall we buy you a few more bags to rotate between? What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll arrange it.”

 

Yao Jiayin swallowed the bitterness clogging her throat like a stone.

 

She couldn’t smile. Instead, she muttered,

 

“Gege… I already made plans to have dinner with my roommates tonight. I can’t eat with you.”

 

Seeing that her unhappiness was real and not playful, Zhong Xianzhi pinched her cheek.

 

“It’s just one meal. I’ll take you another day. Don’t pout. Then I’ll go with you to buy gifts for your roommates, alright?”

 

Yao Jiayin blinked, hugged his arm, and suddenly said,

 

“Gege is so good! Then next time, can you bring my roommates to have dinner with you?”

 

Zhong Xianzhi hesitated briefly, patted the back of her hand, his tone unchanged.

 

“When the time is right, okay? Be good.”

 

Yao Jiayin looked at him and nodded obediently.

 

—

 

Half an hour later

 

While Zhong Xianzhi was giving instructions to the driver, Yao Jiayin excused herself to the restroom.

 

From the inner pocket of her clothes, she took out an identical second phone.

 

A message glowed on the screen:

 

【Jiayin, I’ll be downstairs at your dorm at six tonight.】

 

It was sent earlier by Qi He while she was trying on clothes. She hadn’t replied.

 

Now, she typed back carefully, word by word:

 

【I was out looking at work earlier. I’ll be back at school soon. Qi He, how about Southern cuisine tonight? I’ll recommend something from my hometown…】